Board hears opinions from speakers on both sides of Spencerport’s Urban-Suburban implementation issue

Members of the Spencerport Board of Education are expected to vote Tuesday, February 24 on whether the district will join the Urban-Suburban program.

Spencerport School Superintendent Mike Crumb has recommended the district join the program in the 2015/2016 school year and both the Teachers and Administrators Associations at Spencerport have endorsed joining the program; however, comments from district residents, parents and teachers during the third and final public information meeting regarding Urban-Suburban held February 3 at Spencerport High School show the community continues to be deeply divided on the issue.

During the meeting, Superintendent Crumb reported on his recommendations for implementation, saying he feels Urban-Suburban, “… would be successful in Spencerport very quickly.”

The Superintendent was followed by eleven speakers who explained why they  also are in favor of the program. The list included parents, an Urban-Suburban graduate, and Brockport, West Irondequoit and Pittsford school administrators.

If Spencerport opts not to join the program, Urban-Suburban graduate Darius Melvin said he knows the students from the city will be o-k. “I’m more concerned with students and teachers of Spencerport who won’t have the opportunity to build relationships with people who don’t look like them,” he said.

James Brennan, Assistant Superintendent for Finance at the West Irondequoit Central School District, called all facets of the Urban-Suburban program, “seamless -” from the financial aspects – “… it does generate positive revenue-” to the screening process, to the benefits for all students – “…. it has a positive influence on  kids,” he observed.

The public comment portion of the meeting began at about 8:30 p.m. and lasted for nearly two hours with 42 people signed up to speak.

Although Ty Zinkiewich, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at Spencerport, asked for a “night of respectful commentary,” emotions ran high and he repeatedly had to ask some members of the audience to stop interrupting speakers.

Mary Lou Clifford, who said she was a life-long resident of Spencerport, expressed astonishment at the behavior she witnessed. “The disrespect to others by those who don’t agree is abominable,” she said.

Speakers expressed opinions on both sides of the issue and many became emotional as they spoke.

Those who spoke in favor of Urban-Suburban included parents, residents and teachers.
“It’s not perfect,” one parent with three young children said of Urban-Suburban, “but the potential diversity would add to the value of a Spencerport education. Give it a chance.”

Sara Snarr, a mother of three girls, said she has discussed the issue with her daughters. Following their talk, one of her daughters said, “It doesn’t have to be a perfect program … it’s a good program.” Snarr noted she feels, “… there’s a huge portion of the community that supports the program.”

Other residents expressed a number of concerns regarding Urban-Suburban.

Many said they work hard and make many sacrifices to be able to live in the community, pay taxes, and send their children to Spencerport schools. They  questioned whether those who do not live in the community and don’t pay school taxes in the district should be able to send their children there.

Others called Urban-Suburban exclusionary and elitist. The program is open only to minority students and suburban districts are highly selective regarding the students they allow into the program. “All entitlement programs are wrong,” one resident said.

Michael Miceli, a parent, noted only one of the seven Monroe County School Districts participating in the program has joined in the last 40 years (most of the districts participating joined before 1970) and that after consideration, the Churchville-Chili School District decided not to join the program.

Scott Seely, who has two children attending Spencerport Schools, said the age of the program is actually a draw-back, suggesting it’s time to update Urban-Suburban with, “… some sort of equitable solution,” allowing students other than minorities to take part.

Resident Gary Inzana said he had discussed Urban-Suburban with Rochester Teachers Association President Adam Urbanski, who told Inzana he felt the program is good for students who are chosen, but is a one-way street and largely for show. “No community should be forced  into this program,” Inzana said he was told by Urbanski.

Inzana also questioned why it is only diversity among students which is emphasized and not diversity among faculty and staff.

“Spencerport schools have done just fine without these programs,” Inzana said.

Several speakers, as well as those sitting in the audience, called for a public vote on the issue, but School Board President William Sweeney said a public vote on Urban-Suburban is not possible as there is, “… not the governmental structure” in the district for such a vote.

He said the February 24 School Board meeting will be held at Cosgrove Middle School at 7 p.m. and that privilege of the floor would be held to 30 minutes.